Thirty-four new plants with a total capital investment of SR14.99 billion ($4 billion) are under construction in Jubail Industrial City (JIC), while 57 others with a capital investment of SR14 billion are in the design or planning stage.

Ten plants with a total capital investment of SR4.32 billion are currently undergoing expansions there, the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu said.

They include six in the primary industries sector, one categorised as a secondary industry and three in the support and light industries list. The new plants under construction comprise four in the primary industries sector (capital investment SR14.52), one in the secondary sector (SR70 million) and 29 support and light industries (SR400 million).

The plants in the design/planning stage include six in the primary sector (capital investment SR9.36 billion), 15 in the secondary sector (SR4.09 billion) and 36 support and light industries (SR550 million).

Major primary industry expansions under way include the following:

1) Al Jubail Fertiliser Company (Samad); ammonia debottlenecking project for the production of 47,500 tpy of ammonia. (Completion time: end of 2001).

2) Saudi Arabian Fertiliser Company (Safco); Debottleneck Safco II entailing production of 85,000 tpy of ammonia and 125,000 tpy of urea. (First quarter 2003)

3) Saudi Arabian Fertiliser Company (Safco IV); production of 500,000 tpy of ammonia and 600,000 tpy of urea. (First quarter 2005)

4) National Chemical Fertiliser Company (Ibn Al Baytar); debottlenecking project; production of 83,000 tpy of ammonia and 94,000 tpy of urea. (First quarter 2002).

5) Arabian Petrochemical Company (Petrokemya); HD/LD polyethylene project; production of 800,000 tpy. (Third quarter 2003).

6) Arabian Petrochemical Company (Petrokemya); polyvinyl chloride (PVC); production of 60,000 tpy. (Third quarter 2003).

7) Saudi Petrochemical Company (Sadaf); Cogen project; generation of 242 MW of power as well as steam. (Early 2004)

The new industries/projects under construction are the following ones in the primary industries sector.

1) Al Jubail United Petrochemical Company (united); production of ethylene, ethylene oxide, LAO, VCM, PVC and polyethylene.

2) Sabic Technology Centre.

3) National Industrialisation Company (NIC); propylene, polypropylene.

4) Saudi International Petrochemical Company (SIPC); methanol, acetic acid, vinyl acetate monomer, BDO.

The secondary industry plant under construction is Modern Decor, scheduled for completion by the second quarter of 2003. Twenty-nine factories in the support industries sector are under construction. The Saudi Formaldehyde plant, coming under the secondary industries sector, is undergoing an expansion and will be completed in the second quarter of 2002.

The following new industries are in the planning stage:

1) Al Rajhi International; N-paraffins, LAB.

2) Al Zamil Propane Base Complex; propylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrile.

3) Al Zamil Ammonia; ammonia.

4) Al Zamil Carbon Black Project.

5) Kanoo; propylene, polypropylene.

6) Maadaniyah; mini steel mill.

7) PMD; amines, ethanolamines, ethylene oxide, nitrogen.

8) Chevron Philips; product decision being finalised.